Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: What I learned writing for Veronica Mars

The Hollywood Reporter

The NBA legend-turned pop-culture columnist wound up on the Veronica Mars writing staff along with his writing partner Raymond Obstfeld after seeking Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas' help for a TV project they were working on. Abdul-Jabbar calls Thomas "our Glorious Leader" who led a writing room of himself, Obstfeld, Thomas' longtime collaborator Diane Ruggiero and two other writers. 'I've had the pressure of playing for NBA championships in front of millions of people, but that paled when watching the pressure he faced every day of the five months I was there," Abdul-Jabbar writes. "While we planned out the plot and character arcs of the eight episodes of Veronica Mars, he and Diane were also overseeing the final season of iZombie. He was making decisions about budget, casting, editing, music and a thousand other things. While we ate lunch, he was editing scenes from iZombie or on the phone trying to get J.K. Simmons. Yet he came in each day with good cheer, a clear vision and a great sense of humor. All while on a juice diet! This was our team, and if there's one thing I'm an expert on, it's teamwork. I quickly learned that our role was to help Rob realize his vision. As Veronica's creator, he knew her character, her voice and her world best. Whenever I doubted his vision, he reminded us all with his exceptional memory of all things Veronica. We would be discussing a scene in episode five, and he would shake his head and say something like, 'We can't do that because in episode two, act four, scene five, Keith eats an eclair.' We'd all look blank, trying to remember that moment. Right, I'd think, that's why he's the team leader."